Duke Volleyball has returned to Durham from an amazing experience abroad. Some of our student-athletes began class the day after our return and we have another student-athlete doing a study abroad which begins at the end of May.

Our trip as a team was a chance of a lifetime. For many it was the first visit to Europe. I want to begin by saying thank you to our Duke Volleyball Family who supported this trip and assisted in the fundraising. We even have some new Duke Volleyball family members who were integral in assisting us to fund our great adventure. The experience was everything we hoped it would be and more.

The team represented Duke in a first class manner. As a group I think they really cherished this chance of a lifetime and understood it was very special. We spent a lot of time together! Each day was filled from early morning until late at night.

We played four quality matches in those eight days. This was especially helpful for this team because we have had some unfortunate injuries this past spring (mostly ankle sprains), which prevented us from all being healthy to train and compete. This opportunity to extend our spring and play a few more matches was a blessing. From our first match through the last I saw our team grow. The team worked very hard and I saw them relax some on the court together and begin communicating more efficiently. We gained confidence on the court. Off the court the team worked just as hard interacting as a group and taking advantage of the time we had together. I couldn’t be more proud of our team and how they represented Duke.

Our team experienced some great volleyball; we saw a lot of history that we’ve only read about; we were exposed to different cultures, foods, and languages; during the ropes course and alpine slide we reached outside of our comfort zones; we learned more about our fellow teammates and staff and gained a valuable shared experience.

This opportunity for our team was exceptional on many fronts. We’re grateful, appreciative and motivated more than ever to keep working hard. This was a first for Duke Volleyball. We hope to build on this wonderful experience as a team and continue to grow, develop and compete at our highest level this season and in the future. Go Duke!